Written Answers Friday 2 February 2007

Scottish Executive

Cancer

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the mortality rate for skin cancer has been in each year since 1995, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

George Lyon: The information requested is given in the table Mortality rates for skin cancer, by parliamentary constituency, 1995-2005 a copy of which is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 41643).

Cancer

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people died from cancer in each parliamentary constituency in each year since 1999.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people died from lung cancer in each parliamentary constituency in each year since 1999.

George Lyon: The information requested is given in the table Deaths from lung cancer, by parliamentary constituency, 1999 – 2005 a copy of which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib number 41645).

  As requested, the table presents the absolute numbers of deaths from cancer. However, because the population of Scotland is ageing, these may give a false impression of trends in the risk of dying from lung cancer. To aid interpretation, a table giving age-standardised rates, which take account of changes in the age structure of the population, has also been provided.

Employment

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, using both claimant count and labour force survey information, which 10 areas of Scotland had the highest unemployment rates in 2003 and what the rate (a) was in 2003 and (b) is currently in each of those areas; which 10 areas of Scotland in the most recent survey have the highest unemployment rates, and what the rates are for each of these areas.

Nicol Stephen: Table 1 shows the 10 local authority areas of Scotland that had the highest unemployment rates in 2003 based on the Labour Force Survey (LFS) for 2003. The table also provides the rates for the year ending March 2006 (latest data available) taken from the Annual Population Survey (APS) for 2006. The Annual Population Survey is an annualised version of the LFS.

  Table 1 Unemployment Rates in 2003 and the Year Ending March 2006 for the 10 Areas with the Highest Unemployment Rates in 2003

  

 
 Area
 2003 Unemployment Rate - 16+
 Year Ending March 2006 Unemployment Rate - 16+


 1
 North Lanarkshire
 9.5
 7.1


 2
 North Ayrshire
 9.2
 7.9


 3
 Dundee City
 8.2
 6.8


 4
 West Dunbartonshire
 8.1
 7.4


 5
 Glasgow City
 8.0
 8.7


 6
 Inverclyde
 7.7
 6.5


 7
 East Ayrshire
 7.2
 7.5


 8
 Clackmannanshire
 6.4
 6.6


 9
 South Lanarkshire
 6.1
 4.2


 10
 South Ayrshire
 6.0
 6.8



  Source: 2003 Local Labour Force Survey, 2006 Annual Population Survey.

  Notes:

  1. Data for 2003 is based on a seasonal year (March to February). Data 2006 is based on a calendar year (April 2005 to March 2006).

  2. Proportions are calculated on unrounded figures.

  3. Unemployment rates are calculated as the number of people unemployed divided by the total number of people who are economically active.

  Table 2 shows the 10 local authority areas of Scotland that had the highest unemployment rates for the year ending March 2006 using the Annual Population Survey (APS) (latest data available).

  Table 2 Unemployment Rates for the Year Ending March 2006 for the 10 Areas with the Highest Unemployment Rates

  

 
 Area
 Year Ending March 2006 Unemployment Rate - 16+


 1
 Glasgow City
 8.7


 2
 North Ayrshire
 7.9


 3
 East Ayrshire
 7.5


 4
 West Dunbartonshire
 7.4


 5
 North Lanarkshire
 7.1


 6
 Dundee City
 6.8


 7
 South Ayrshire
 6.8


 8
 Clackmannanshire
 6.6


 9
 Inverclyde
 6.5


 10
 Fife
 5.9



  Source: 2006 Annual Population Survey.

  Notes:

  1. Data for 2006 is based on a year (April 2005 to March 2006)

  2. Proportions are calculated on unrounded figures.

  3. Unemployment rates are calculated as the number of people unemployed divided by the total number of people who are economically active.

  Table 3 shows the 10 local authority areas of Scotland that had the highest claimant count unemployment rates in December 2003. The table also shows the claimant count unemployment rates for each area in December 2006 (latest claimant count data available).

  Table 3 Claimant Count Unemployment Rates in December 2003 and December 2006 for the 10 Areas with the Highest Claimant Count Unemployment Rates in 2003

  

 
 Area
 Unemployment Rate 2003
 Unemployment Rate 2006


 1
 Glasgow City
 6.5%
 5.9%


 2
 North Ayrshire
 6.1%
 5.2%


 3
 Inverclyde
 5.9%
 4.8%


 4.
 Dundee City
 5.6%
 5.0%


 5
 East Ayrshire
 5.5%
 4.7%


 6
 West Dunbartonshire
 5.3%
 5.0%


 7
 Eilean Siar
 4.8%
 3.9%


 8
 Fife
 4.4%
 3.8%


 9
 Clackmannanshire
 4.3%
 3.8%


 10
 South Ayrshire
 4.3%
 3.6%



  Source: Office for National Statistics.

  Note: 1. claimant count unemployment rates are calculated as the number of people who are claiming unemployment related benefits divided by the total number of people who are economically active.

  Table 4 shows the 10 local authority areas of Scotland that had the highest claimant count unemployment rates in December 2006, which is the most recent claimant count data available.

  Table 4 Claimant Count Unemployment Rates in December 2006 for the 10 Areas with the Highest Claimant Count Unemployment Rates in December 2006

  

 
 Area
 Unemployment Rate December 2006


 1
 Glasgow City
 5.9%


 2
 North Ayrshire
 5.2%


 3
 West Dunbartonshire
 5.0%


 4
 Dundee City
 5.0%


 5
 Inverclyde
 4.8%


 6
 East Ayrshire
 4.7%


 7
 Eilean Siar
 3.9%


 8
 Clackmannanshire
 3.8%


 9
 Fife
 3.8%


 10
 South Ayrshire
 3.6%



  Source: Office for National Statistics.

  Note: 1. claimant count unemployment rates are calculated as the number of people who are claiming unemployment related benefits divided by the total number of people who are economically active

Energy Efficiency

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will undertake a public consultation on its forthcoming energy efficiency strategy.

Nicol Stephen: The Executive has carried out significant consultation with a range of stakeholders during the development of the Energy Efficiency and Microgeneration Strategy. A public consultation will take place as part of the Strategic Environmental Assessment process. Further public consultation has and will take place on a number of the individual policy measures contained within the strategy.

Environment

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what practical, policy or financial initiatives it is taking to increase the proportion of food consumed in Scotland that is produced in Scotland.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive is seeking to ensure that more Scottish food is processed and consumed in Scotland, by encouraging localised food distribution systems and by supporting local marketing schemes. For example, we have provided over £60 million since 2001 enabling a total investment of £308 million in Scotland to support improvements in the processing and marketing of Scottish primary produce.

Environment

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what practical, policy or financial initiatives it is taking to reduce the miles travelled by food to plate.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is on food miles.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive is seeking to reduce the distance travelled by food through working with the industry to ensure that more Scottish food is processed in Scotland, by encouraging localised food distribution systems and by supporting local marketing schemes. For example, we have provided over £60 million since 2001 to support investments that add value to Scottish primary produce within Scotland. We also welcome recent initiatives by Marks and Spencer, and by Tesco, to reduce their food miles and label food imported by air.

Environment

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what average distances (a) beef, (b) lamb, (c) pork and (d) chicken meat travels from production site to local Scottish shop.

Ross Finnie: This level of detailed information is not collected, and the distance that these commodities travel will vary, as will the definition of "local Scottish shop".

Fair Trade

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-25531 by Patricia Ferguson on 22 May 2006, who the members are of the informal Cross Party Group on Fair Trade; how often the group has met since 25 January 2005; how the Fair Trade agenda and the aspiration for Scotland to become a Fair Trade Nation have progressed, and whether relevant criteria for a Fair Trade Nation have been established following liaison with the Fairtrade Foundation and the Welsh Assembly Government.

Patricia Ferguson: The members of the informal Cross Party Group on Fair Trade, to avoid confusion, now called the All Party Group on Fair Trade are:

  
Patricia Ferguson, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport (Chair)
  Jamie Stone MSP, Scottish Liberal Democrats
  Murdo Fraser MSP, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
  Mark Ballard MSP, Scottish Green Party
  Dennis Canavan MSP, Independent
  Michael Matheson MSP, Scottish National Party
  Des McNulty MSP, Scottish Labour (who resigned upon his appointment as Deputy Minister for Communities).


  The group has met four times: on 26 May 2005, 25 January 2006, 15 June 2006 and 16 November 2006.

  During this time, significant progress has been made taking forward the fair trade agenda, particularly with reference to the structures required to deliver the aspiration to become a Fair Trade Nation. The first ever conference of the Fair Trade movement in Scotland took place on 27 January 2007 with the specific purpose of discussing the creation of a Scottish Fair Trade Forum to co-ordinate implementation. The next meeting of the All Party Group will consider any recommendations that come out of this conference.

  The full Fair Trade Nation criteria (announced by the First Minister on 3 July 2006) which were developed in consultation with the Welsh Assembly Government and the Fairtrade Foundation, can be found at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/News-Extras/fair-trade.

Finance

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform’s comments about structural differences between the Scottish and UK economies when discussing Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland (GERS) on BBC Newsnight Scotland on 14 December 2006, how it explains such structural differences.

Nicol Stephen: Overall, the UK and Scottish economies have similar, though not identical, structures. All economies have a degree of variation in, for example, their industrial composition, their fiscal and legislative environment, the gender-mix in their labour market, the skills and entrepreneurial attitude of their people, the share of part-time and full-time workers in their labour market, the proportions of their public and private sectors, their trading partners and their population densities. These variations are what gives an economy its unique identity and are ultimately what leads to an economy having some form of comparative and competitive advantage.

Flood Prevention

Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether a target date has been set to announce Scottish Ministers’ decision on the Water of Leith flood prevention scheme.

Ross Finnie: Our consideration of the Water of Leith Flood prevention Scheme has presented the Executive with many challenges in seeking to confirm a scheme which will deliver the maximum resilience against flooding in a way which is fair to all. Our consideration of the complex issues involved is nearing completion and we hope to conclude this as quickly as possible.

Flood Prevention

Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in respect of the Water of Leith flood prevention scheme, there are any additional factors that Scottish Ministers will take into account, given the time that has elapsed since the local public inquiry was held.

Ross Finnie: The Public Local Inquiry on the Water of Leith Flood Prevention Scheme was held between 2 November and 10 December 2004. The outcome of the Public Local Inquiry required the Executive to undertake a public consultation on proposed modifications, which led to 386 representations being received. Since then, officials have been very busy considering these representations and seeking to resolve the complex issues involved.

Flood Prevention

Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce accelerated procedures for the approval of flood prevention schemes, in light of concerns expressed by local communities that the proposed plans for the Water of Leith were submitted in 2003 and that the local public inquiry was held in November and December 2004.

Ross Finnie: Flood prevention schemes, other than those of maintenance or repair, can only be carried out under the Flood Prevention (Scotland) Act 1961. This is to ensure all parties affected by a scheme are properly informed and given the opportunity to object. It is important that at all stages the due process and procedures are followed correctly. However we do acknowledge that this can, on occasion, be a lengthy process. The Executive is considering ways to reduce delay in the system, while ensuring that those affected by a scheme have the opportunity to raise any concerns.

Further and Higher Education

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all inspections and audits of universities and colleges that have to be undertaken or commissioned by it or any of its agencies and how often each requires to be carried out.

Nicol Stephen: Principal responsibility for the funding of higher education institutions and colleges of further education lies with the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council, which is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Scottish Executive. The council also has a duty to assess and enhance the quality of education which it is funding. Other relevant organisations are Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education and the Scottish Qualifications Authority. Individual inspections and audits carried out by these bodies are operational matters and I have therefore asked their respective chairs to write to the member direct providing the information sought.

  The Executive is committed to improving the way all public services are scrutinised via regulation, audit, inspection and complaints handling. The Independent Review of Regulation, Audit, Inspection and Complaints Handling of Public Services in Scotland under Professor Lorne Crerar is looking at how well our current external scrutiny arrangements reflect our principles of public service reform, avoid duplication, ensure common standards and focus on service users. It will make recommendations on any measures needed to improve them and is due to report to ministers in summer 2007.

Higher Education

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many students (a) applied for and (b) were successful in obtaining places on degree courses at Scottish universities in (i) law, (ii) medicine, (iii) engineering, (iv) accountancy and (v) veterinary studies in the most recent year for which figures are available and what the percentage change in (A) applicants and (B) successful places has been since 1999, broken down by social class and university.

Nicol Stephen: I have obtained the figures shown below from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

  Number of Students Applying for and being Accepted for Entry in 2005

  

 Subject
 Applications
 Accepted Applicants


 Law
 8,153
 1,536


 Medicine
 9,467
 937


 Engineering
 13,677
 2,653


 Veterinary Studies*
 1,847
 255



  Note: *Veterinary and agricultural studies and related, at the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow.

  The number of applications and acceptances in Accountancy is not being made available separately by UCAS.

  A copy of a table Applications and Acceptances through UCAS to Scottish Higher Education Institution by socio economic group has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 41697). That table contains a breakdown by socio-economic group of all applications and acceptances to Scottish Higher ducation Institutions by institution and year.

Higher Education

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what support it has provided to the University of Stirling and how many students have attended the university in each year since 1996-97.

Nicol Stephen: The information requested is given in the following table.

  Main Formula Grants to the University of Stirling and Number of Students: 1996-97 to 2006-07

  

 
Grants For Teaching
(£ Million)
Grants For Research
(£ Million)
Other Grants
(£ Million)
Total Grants
(£ Million)
 Number of Students


 1996-97
 13.6
 4.0
 7.3
 24.9
 8,072


 1997-98
 14.3
 4.1
 7.3
 25.7
 8,135


 1998-99
 15.9
 4.5
 5.8
 26.1
 7,938


 1999-2000
 16.6
 4.5
 6.0
 27.1
 8,100


 2000-01
 17.4
 4.7
 6.4
 28.5
 8,395


 2001-02
 18.4
 4.8
 0.3
 23.5
 8,660


 2002-03
 18.9
 6.9
 0.3
 26.1
 8,975


 2003-04
 19.9
 7.2
 0.3
 27.3
 8,720


 2004-05
 20.4
 8.0
 0.3
 28.7
 8,470


 2005-06
 20.9
 8.3
 6.9
 36.1
 n/a


 2006-07
 24.3
 8.9
 7.9
 41.0
 n/a



  Source: Scottish Funding Council/Higher Education Statistics Agency.

  Note:

  There have been changes to funding methodologies, grant schemes and fees.

  Arrangements over the period covered.

Higher Education

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many graduates qualified as planners in each year since 1999.

Nicol Stephen: The numbers of graduates from Scottish Higher Education Institutions (HEI) in planning subjects in each academic year from 1998-99 to 2005-06 are given in the following tables.

  Graduates from Scottish HEIs in Planning Subjects by Level of Qualification:

  

 Graduates
 1998-99
 1999-2000
 2000-01
 2001-02
 2002-03
 2003-04
 2004-05
 2005-06


 Postgraduate
 135
 140
 150
 100
 90
 75
 80
 160


 Undergraduate
 105
 120
 135
 115
 80
 130
 95
 80


 Total
 245
 260
 285
 210
 170
 205
 175
 235



  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency.

  Numbers have been rounded to the nearest five.

Higher Education

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many planning graduates entered the (a) private and (b) public sector in each year since 1999.

Nicol Stephen: The following table shows the information you requested:

  Estimated Number of Planners Graduating from Scottish HEIs Working in the Public and Private Sectors Six Months after Graduation

  

 Year
 1998-99
 1999-2000
 2000-01
 2001-02
 2002-03
 2003-04
 2004-05


 Public Sector
 45
 55
 60
 30
 30
 35
 25


 Private Sector
 80
 80
 95
 80
 60
 55
 50


 Total
 125
 135
 155
 110
 90
 90
 75



  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency.

  Notes:

  Numbers have been rounded to the nearest five.

  Private Sector includes: manufacturing and construction, retail and leisure, transport and communication, finance.

  Public Sector includes: public administration, education and health, social and community work.

  The table includes graduates from full-time planning related courses who found permanent employment six months after leaving university. Graduates who continue their studies or have not yet found permanent work are not included in the table.

Higher Education

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of a potential withdrawal of the University of Glasgow from the Crichton Campus in Dumfries and, if so, what action it can take to help the university address any shortfall in the funding of its operations in Dumfries.

Nicol Stephen: I refer the member to the answer to question S2F-2690 on 1 February 2007. All answers to parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-07/sor0201-02.htm#Col31720 .

Higher Education

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the number of student places funded by the Scottish Funding Council at the University of Glasgow’s Crichton Campus in Dumfries has increased in line with actual student numbers and what the reasons are for this position.

Nicol Stephen: The allocation of places to the Crichton Campus is a matter for the Scottish Funding Council (SFC). It is not an area in which ministers can intervene.

  The SFC has supported higher education provision at the Crichton campus by allocating an additional 100 full-time equivalent (FTE) places in 2001-02 and a further 50 in 2002-03, split between the Universities of Glasgow (88 FTE places) and Paisley (62 FTE). These places are cumulative and recurring. Total student numbers at the University of Glasgow’s Crichton campus were: 2002-03 - 290; 2003-04 - 245; 2004-05 - 270, and 2005-06 - 240.

  The Crichton Campus is not an institution in its own right. Provision is delivered through the partner institutions. The partner institutions make their own decisions on the allocation of their resources to their activity and facilities at Crichton. This includes funded student places. Any decision to allocate additional places above the SFC allocation to Crichton would be for the partner institutions themselves to make, in light of their particular circumstances or priorities.

Higher Education

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it supports universities which establish outreach campuses, such as Crichton Campus in Dumfries, to provide higher education in rural areas.

Nicol Stephen: Scottish ministers have advised the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) to ensure the adequacy of provision of further and higher education in the South of Scotland.

  Responsibility for decisions on the funding of individual higher education institutions lies with the SFC. The SFC allocates a block teaching grant to institutions. Consequently, institutions make their own decisions on the allocation of their resources to their activities and facilities.

  Under the current higher education teaching funding methodology, there is no specific funding premium for provision of outreach campuses. However, the SFC review of college and higher education institution (HEI) teaching funding methodologies will review all the costs of further and higher education provision and will clearly have to consider this aspect.

  In respect of capital funding, the SFC provides targeted support in rural areas for joint HEI/College estates developments. This has included £5.5 million of Learning and Teaching Infrastructure Funding for 2006-07 to 2007-08 at the Crichton campus for Bell College, the University of Paisley and the University of Glasgow. This is in addition to £2.3 million towards infrastructure costs for the early development at the Crichton campus and £21.7 million to Dumfries and Galloway College in support of its relocation to a site adjacent to the campus.

Higher Education

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it values the provision made at Crichton Campus in Dumfries and what its attitude would be to any diminution in the number and variety of courses on offer.

Nicol Stephen: We fully support the Crichton Campus. This successful and innovative cross-sector development is making Higher Education accessible to those who would not otherwise have been able to engage in the south west and is forming important links with local businesses and the community.

  The Scottish Funding Council is working with the Crichton partners to develop a strategy that protects provision and supports an increasingly secure and effective future for the Crichton Campus which will continue to make higher education more accessible in the south west.

Income

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average household income figure is in (a) Scotland and (b) each (i) parliamentary region, (ii) local enterprise company area, (iii) local authority area, (iv) parliamentary constituency and (v) Scottish Westminster parliamentary constituency.

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the median household income figure is in (a) Scotland and (b) each (i) parliamentary region, (ii) local enterprise company area, (iii) local authority area, (iv) parliamentary constituency and (v) Scottish Westminster parliamentary constituency.

The Executive have supplied the following corrected answer:

Rhona Brankin: The following table presents the mean and median annual household income estimates for Scotland based on the Family Resources Survey. Sub Scotland estimates are not available.

  Table: Median and Mean Weekly Household Income for Scotland, 2004-05 (£ per Week)

  

 Gross Household Income
 Net Disposable Household Income
 Net Disposable Household Income (After Housing Costs)
 Equivalised Net Disposable Household Income (Before Housing Costs)
 Equivalised Net Disposable Household Income (After Housing Costs)


 Median
 Mean
 Median
 Mean
 Median
 Mean
 Median
 Mean
 Median
 Mean


 414
 538
 332
 408
 286
 361
 349
 397
 313
 356



  Source: Households Below Average Income, The Department for Work and Pensions.

  Notes:

  Gross household income: Total income from all sources including from Tax Credits, before deductions of income tax and National Insurance.

  Net disposable household income: Total income after deductions for income tax, National Insurance Contributions, council tax, pension contributions and maintenance payments.

  Housing costs: Net disposable income but with rent/mortgage payments, water charges, structural insurance premiums, ground rent and service charges deducted.

  Equivalised net disposable household income: "Equivalised" Income is used to allow comparisons of living standards between different household types. Income is adjusted to take into account variations in the size and composition of the household. This adjustment reflects the fact that a family of several people requires a higher income than a single person in order for both households to enjoy a comparable standard of living. The key assumption is that all individuals in the household benefit equally from the combined (equivalised) income of the household. There are distinct equivalence scales used for income before housing costs (BHC) and income after housing costs (AHC).

  Median: The income value which divides a population, when ranked by income, into two equal-sized groups. The measure is most commonly used to represent average income due to the highly skewed nature of the income distribution, which leads to the very high incomes of a few having a disproportionate impact on the mean.

  Mean: The total income/expenditure of all households in a population, divided by the number of households. In some situations it can be more appropriate to use the mean rather than the median.

Mental Health

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people aged (a) 50 to 64, (b) 65 to 74 and (c) 75 and over were treated for depression in each of the last 10 years, broken down by NHS board.

Lewis Macdonald: The exact number of those treated for depression is not available centrally. The information provided is the latest available estimates based on returns from a representative sample of general practices in Scotland.

  Estimated Patients, 50 Years and Over, Seen by a GP for Depression, by Age Group; Year Ending 31 March

  

 Age Group
 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003


 50 - 64
 65,850
 68,450
 69,850
 69,700
 71,950


 65 - 74
 24,400
 23,900
 24,550
 22,800
 22,600


 75 and over
 20,400
 20,200
 18,600
 19,050
 18,150



  Source: ISD, Scotland.

  Note: Rounded in each case to the nearest 50.

  Delivering for Mental Health (Bib. number 41410) promotes action to reduce the number of people suffering from depression by intervening through self-help and psychological therapies which are supported by targets and commitments.

Ministerial Transport

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the modes of transport used by ministers on official business in each year since 1999.

Mr Tom McCabe: A breakdown of the main modes of transport used by ministers on official business is provided in this and the three related questions referred to as follows. It is also likely that ministers will have travelled on occasion by other means but there is no central record of such travel. In particular, details of journeys made on foot or by bus are not held centrally.

  S2W-31111 answered on 2 February 2007 provides details of ministers’ travel by rail.

  S2W-31112 answered on 2 February 2007 provides details of ministers’ travel by official car.

  S2W-31113 answered on 2 February 2007 provides details of ministers’ travel by air.

  Information on ministers’ travel by taxi is only available from 2004 as follows:

  Taxi Journeys

  

 
 2004
 2005
 2006


 Journeys
 272
 282
 252



  Car Hire data is available from April 2000. One hire was made in 2001 and one in 2006.

  Travel guidance insists that consideration be given to whether a proposed journey is necessary, and if it is ministers must use the most cost effective method of travel. This includes taking account of the time it takes to travel by different methods of transport.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Ministerial Transport

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions ministers have travelled by rail on official business in each year since 1999.

Mr Tom McCabe: Information on rail travel by ministers is only available from April 2002.

  

 
 2002
 2003
 2004
 2005
 2006


 Journeys
 152*
 112
 107
 127
 86



  Note: *2002 applies to the period April to end of December 2002, as January to March 2002 data is no longer held by the travel agent.

Ministerial Transport

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions ministers have travelled in official cars on official business in each year since 1999.

Mr Tom McCabe: The information available on the number of journeys ministers have travelled in official cars on official business in each year since 1999 is set out in the following tables.

  Tables 1 and 2: Journeys Undertaken Between 1999 and 20041

  Table 1: Manual Scheduling System

  

 Calendar Year
 Journeys


 1999 
 5,538


 2000
 6,149


 2001
 6,673


 2002 (up to and including July)2
 3,999



  Table 2: Computerised Scheduling System

  

 Calendar Year
 Journeys


 2002 (from August to December)2
 5,709


 2003
 11,531


 2004
 12,317



  Notes:

  1. The information in these tables is taken from a Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act request answered on 7 March 2005. The tables include journeys undertaken by Scottish ministers, ministers of the UK Government Departments when in Scotland, some senior officials at the Scottish Executive, visiting dignitaries and where necessary the transportation of official documents. The underlying records are no longer held.

  2. The numbers provided were compiled using data from two different scheduling methods. Up to and including July 2002, the Government Car Service (GCS) relied on a manual scheduling system where journeys were recorded as one, regardless of the number of points of call. From 1 August 2002, GCS installed a computerised scheduling system which only accepts a single point of call as one journey. The totals in each of the tables are therefore not comparable. The large variation between the numbers journeys carried out during the first seven months and those completed in the latter months simply reflect the different recording methods, and not because of any increase in the workload.

  Table 3: Journeys Undertaken Between 2005 and 20061

  

 Calendar Year
 Journeys


 2005
 10,2502


 2006
 9,933



  Notes:

  1. The table includes journeys undertaken by Scottish ministers and where necessary the transportation of official documents.

  2. The figure is an approximation as data for the period of January to March 2005 is no longer held on Government Car Service Scheduling software. Seven thousand six hundred and sixty-nine journeys were recorded from April to end of December 2005.

Ministerial Transport

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions ministers have travelled by air on official business in each year since 1999.

Mr Tom McCabe: Information on air travel by ministers is only available from April 2002.

  

 
 2002
 2003
 2004
 2005
 2006


 Journeys
 274*
 204
 234
 245
 230



  Note:*2002 applies to the period April to end of December 2002, as January to March 2002 data is no longer held by the travel agent.

Police

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it or the UK Government will compensate Strathclyde Police for any additional policing costs incurred in relation to policing and security in and around Oban from 24 to 26 November 2006 and, if so, who will pay such compensation.

Cathy Jamieson: Strathclyde Police was allocated in the region of £496 million, out of a total police budget of almost £1.1 billion, for 2006-07. In the last five years alone funding for Strathclyde Police has increased by £125.4 million and the number of police officers has risen by 472 with support staff rising by 895.

  The Chief Constable of Strathclyde Police is responsible for planning the use of the resources available to him to deliver the full range of policing activities, including maintaining public order and security.

Renewable Energy

Ms Maureen Watt (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many households have received a Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative grant for installation of a micro-renewable energy system, broken down by region, grant amount and system type.

Nicol Stephen: The information requested is provided in the following tables.

  Householder Grants Approved (including Grants Paid) by Geography (to 13 November 2006)

  

 Region
 Number of Grants Approved
 Value Approved


 South West Scotland
 147
£319,680.04


 Strathclyde and Central
 138
£309,695.69


 Aberdeen
 150
£325,533.75


 Tayside
 193
£421,554.29


 Lothian and Edinburgh
 239
£446,074.71


 Argyll and Islands
 60
£158,680.19


 Caithness, Sutherland, Ross and Cromarty 
 95
£239,448.38


 Inverness and Nairn 
 82
£177,649.69


 Moray, Badenoch and Strathspey 
 28
£51,142.16


 Lochaber and Skye 
 31
£82,635.58


 Orkney 
 54
£141,805.84


 Shetland
 79
£115,732.71


 Western Isles 
 16
£43,013.62



  Householder Grants Approved (including Grants Paid) by Technology (to 13 November 2006)

  

 Technology
 Number of Grants Approved
 Value Approved


 Solar Water Heating 
 643
£746,651.70


 Wind Turbine 
 62
£227,905.15


 GSHP 
 459
£1,560,089.23


 Hydro 
 5
£18,506.95


 Biomass
 74
£212,033.43


 Solar Water Heating/Wind 
 1
£1,236.41


 Lerwick District Heating 
 62
£55,003.95


 Air Source Heat Pump 
 5
£9,538.11


 Solar Space Heating
 2
£1,681.71

Renewable Energy

Ms Maureen Watt (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many community projects have received a Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative grant for installation of a micro-renewable energy system, broken down by region, grant amount and system type.

Nicol Stephen: The information requested is provided in the following tables.

  Community Grants Approved (including Grants Paid) by Region to 22 January 2007

  

 Region
 Number of Grants Approved
 Value of Grants Approved


 South West Scotland
 7
£197,453.41


 Strathclyde and Central
 24
£856,127.84


 Aberdeen
 10
£292,453.96


 Tayside
 11
£390,453.55


 Lothian and Edinburgh
 31
£603,873.69


 Argyll and Islands
 25
£964,690


 North Highland
 19
£327,079


 East Highland
 15
£339,103


 Orkney
 21
£449,160


 Shetland 
 19
£633,228


 West Highland
 21
£547,877


 Western Isles
 22
£843,037



  Community grants approved (including grants paid) by technology to 22 January 2007

  

 Technology
 Number of Grants Approved
 Value of Grants Approved


 Solar water
 45
£635,419.99


 Solar air
 5
£51,797.36


 Solar air/solar water
 5
£78,857.41


 Wind
 62
£1,296,607.39


 Hydro
 6
£76,087


 Biomass
 36
£1,562,842.73


 Ground source heat pump
 49
£1,857,819.76


 Solar hot water/wind
 5
£114,543.12


 Hydro/GSHP
 1
£15,639.25


 Solar hot water/GSHP
 4
£265,810


 Multiple 
 5
£339,112.44


 Hydrogen
 1
£100,000


 GSHP/Wind
 1
£50,000

Renewable Energy

Mr Jim Wallace (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals and community groups in Orkney have received support under the Scottish Communities and Householder Renewables initiative since its inception and what the total value of that support has been.

Nicol Stephen: Since its inception in 2002, 56 householder grants in Orkney have been approved under Scottish Communities and Householder Renewables Initiative (SCHRI), with a total value of £148,042. Under the community stream, 55 grants have been approved for 25 organisations, with a total value of £618,324.

Residential Care

Ms Maureen Watt (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were cared for by home carers in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area and showing year-on-year percentage changes.

Lewis Macdonald: Copies of a table showing the number of home care clients in each year since 1999 have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 41537).

  The table shows home care clients receiving a service provided or purchased by local authorities.

Residential Care

Ms Maureen Watt (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) total and (b) average payments were to home carers in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area and showing year-on-year percentage changes.

Lewis Macdonald: Home Carers may be employed by local authorities, private companies, individuals or voluntary organisations. No information is held centrally regarding the total or average payments to home carers.

Residential Care

Ms Maureen Watt (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were cared for in residential homes in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area and showing year-on-year percentage changes.

Lewis Macdonald: Copies of a table showing the number of people cared for in care homes in each year since 2000 have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 41537).

  Comparable figures for 1999 are not held centrally.

Residential Care

Ms Maureen Watt (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) total cost and (b) average cost per resident were of providing residential care in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area and showing year-on-year percentage changes.

Lewis Macdonald: Copies of a table showing the total net expenditure to local authorities of providing residential care since 1999-2000 have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 41537).

  It is not possible to provide the average cost per resident.

Correction

The reply to question S2W-28499 which was originally answered on 28 September 2006, has been corrected: see page 9850 or http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/pqa/wa-07/wa0202.htm.

  The reply to question S2W-28500 which was originally answered on 28 September 2006, has been corrected: see page 9850 or http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/pqa/wa-07/wa0202.htm.